Aruba Holidays

Aruba has all the qualities a Caribbean island should have – white sands, swaying palm trees and bath-warm waters. The best swathe of coast is the 11-kilometre stretch that connects Palm Beach and Eagle Beach on the island’s western side. This swathe clinched fourth place on TripAdvisor’s poll of the world’s best beaches in 2018.

Aruba is actually part of a trio of islands known as the ABCs – Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao – and, together with Holland, they make up the Kingdom of the Netherlands. As such, there’s a Dutch influence on the island. De Olde Mollen in Palm Beach is a bona-fide Dutch windmill, which was shipped over from Holland in the Sixties.

Dutch isn’t the only culture that’s shaped Aruba. There’s a strong American influence, too. A lot of the restaurants in Oranjestad and Palm Beach serve USA-style food like Tex-Mex, Buffalo wings and ribs. Plus, newspapers like Aruba Today focus on American current affairs.

Over in Palm Beach, one of the island’s most popular coastal resorts, high-rise hotels and swish casinos line the sands. At the other end of the spectrum, Eagle Beach is Aruba on a go-slow – think thatched beach hangouts serving up pina coladas.